-
A seat at the table: reflections on belonging in higher education
October always makes me pause. Black History Month is definitely a time to celebrate, but also to reckon with where we are. This year’s theme, “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”, invites us to reflect on what it means to belong, to hold space, and to stand tall in institutions that have not always made that…
-
Celebrating the teachers of tomorrow on World Teachers’ Day
Here at the Sheffield Institute of Education, much of our time is dedicated to training the teachers of tomorrow. To mark World Teachers’ Day, we asked our trainee teachers to tell us about the difference they hope to make in our schools and colleges. In this troubled and cynical world, take a moment to appreciate…
-
An update from the SIOE external networks
Did you know that the SIoE hosts a number of external networks? Below is a taster of those networks and some short reports on the work they did during the previous academic year. Do get in touch with the network leads if you would like to get involved. SHU Mathematics Association Lisa Ashmore The SHU…
-
Things cis people need to know and do this pride month
A couple of weeks ago I attended the annual Gender and Education Association Conference. It’s a conference I last attended in 2017. I don’t have many recollections of the 2017 conference, but what I do remember is pleasant enough: chatting to some interesting people; watching a paper presented in the form of a dance; I…
-
How a peer support group is supporting male students’ mental health and wellbeing at Hallam.
It’s stress awareness month again. In April last year, I wrote about the need to better support our male students with stress and mental ill-health, noting their difficulties in sharing emotions and seeking support where needed. This year I want to foreground an initiative that’s making a difference to this demographic at Hallam. Talk Clubs…
-
Like a bridge over troubled water?
The water is certainly troubled at the moment – the latest chaos caused by Trump’s tariffs, threats to academic freedom, the return of coal and so on have caused huge waves across the world. But it’s important to remember that the same challenges we faced before Trump’s election – the climate catastrophe, AI, wars –…
-
Improving hybrid delivery through ‘neuroflexification’
Neuro (njʊərəʊ) (prefix) relating to the concept of neurodiversity, which values the diversity of human neurocognitionFlexification (flɛksɪfɪkeɪʃən) (noun) Embedding flexible options Hybrid delivery on the MA Autism We have just completed an evaluation of our teaching and learning here at the Sheffield Hallam Autism Centre, and I am wondering if “neuroflexification” – a new word…
-
Embracing Multilingualism in Education: A Call for Change
A student hesitates before answering a question—not because they don’t know the answer, but because they are translating their thoughts from their home language into English. Meanwhile, in another school, a teacher discourages students from speaking anything other than English, believing it will help them integrate. These everyday moments reflect a broader issue: the undervaluing…
-
We need to talk about doctoral pedagogy: introducing the doctoral education toolkit
Let’s start with a couple of questions: 1) When you supervise your doctoral students, are you teaching them? And 2) Are they learning? We think you probably answered ‘yes’ to question 1, and ‘hopefully’ to question 2. So, why is it that in many universities, doctoral supervision is positioned as a ‘research’ duty and not…
-
Brittany’s story: “Our daughters are going to boss the future”
In recognition of International Women’s Day, allow us to introduce you to Brittany. Brittany has changed her life and is now changing the lives of those around her. Brittany is a champion of Sheffield Hallam’s partnership nursery and Save the Children UK’s Sheffield Early Learning Community. She was part of the BBC Panorama documentary programme Britain’s…
Got any book recommendations?